If you want to try your hand at flipping a collectible vehicle but don’t want the hassle of storing a car while waiting for it to sell, may I suggest a mini bike? These seem to be one of the hottest forms of vintage transportation, as prices continue to climb and more restorers start turning out refreshed examples. This 1970 Honda CT70 isn’t a fresh restoration project; no, this one is a survivor, wearing original gold paint and showing just under 3,000 original miles. When it comes to mini trail bikes like this, they’ll likely never see the kind of use they were designed for, but it will still look incredible in your garage as a static display piece that you can cruise on through the neighborhood. Find the CT70 here on eBay with bids to $3,150 and no reserve.
The CT70 was a fairly ingenious bit of packaging, providing trail-ready capabilities in an extremely compact package with Honda’s legendary reputation for reliability baked right in. The CT70 seemingly came at just the right time as motorcycle enthusiasts started exploring all that the hobby had to offer, including trail riding, and the CT70 was the perfect accomplice for the novice off-road rider. Bright colors, low maintenance, and even a clever handlebar design that allowed them to be folded out of the way for transporting the bike in the back of the owner’s car. How cool is that? While I don’t like waxing poetic about Honda, their commitment to imagining every little thing a customer could want, and more is second to none.
The CT70 is a simple bike, and that’s not meant as a slight – it’s a compliment as to how easy these are to live with and restore should you choose to find a parts bike as a project. The CT70 features an air-cooled four-stroke motor, and most were paired to an automatic transmission. This helped establish its reputation as a bike seemingly anyone could ride, from kids to adults. It was quite durable, with suspension components featuring forks up front and shocks in the rear. The other details, like the vivid colors and decals, are straight out of the 70s. It helps that the bike has always been stored inside, and the seller notes it starts up quickly and shifts easily through the gears.
On my friend’s property in North Georgia, we have a whole mess of these, mostly in parts bike form. That’s because last summer, a gentleman from Tennessee responded to an ad I had posted and came up to buy pretty much every single complete CT70 we had. He owned a small restoration shop and planned to get them running, refreshed, and put up for sale. When I saw that, I realized just how popular these little trail bikes were getting, and if you look around, he’s not the only one doing it. Still, there’s a very real ceiling in terms of how much you can ask for one of these, which is good news for anyone who wants to buy the best example they can find. Did you grow up riding around on mini trail bikes like these?
I grew up on a Yamaha mini enduro…a sixty which had been turned into an eight, but I tell you I was jealous of the kids who road a Honda. Not so much these CT-70’s but the XR 75 and MR 50’s., especially a tricked out XR with a loud aftermarket pipe. This was in the early to mid ’70’s.
One kid had a CT 70 much like this one. We thought it was a boring bike really as motocross was all the rage to us kids.
From simpler times, as off roading was really taking off on two wheels for the masses.
I too grew up on jt1mx60 mini enduro. Also listed for xr75 becuase of Flying Freckle Jeff Ward and his trick xr’s too. But, the little Yamaha is considered the 1st true Minicycle. I have #40 out 62k. still. Great memories. Have to say those ct70’s that had plates are/were very cool too. Not worth as much people are asking though. Many were sold and lots still.out there. Like this one. Lots of fun!
Cold340t, Jeff Ward and his “killer XR”! Man that was a long time ago, huh. He kept that four stroke alive even as the Yamaha YZ80 was taking charge. Brian Myerscough battled him on the tracks but I can’t even recall what he rode. Ward had a custom CR100 about the size of an XR, very very trick. Great stuff.
I rode a red 1970 model like this hundreds of miles. Never a break down. If Harley would stop making junk, they could be like Honda. One of my best friends has this exact bile in his living room. It has 1,100 miles. He talks about selling it, but is in the middle of 2 Corvette restorations, a Kharmann Ghia and runs two businesses. No time.
To much money for this one. I see these things for sale all the time in decent shape low miles, 1200 to 1800.
Apparently not.
Several friends have these, they use them as pit bikes at the track. One of them explained that not all were street legal, those that could be licensed were worth significantly more. He said it was dependent on the date of manufacture. I’m not sure if he was right, but if he is it would help explain the high price.
Steve R
Wouldn’t they need items like turn signals and mirrors in order to be street legal? This one does have a plate holder, though, so maybe those items have been removed.
Awesome! Please point me in the direction of one of these $1500 Trail70’s.
Agreed , this market needs to reset. You can buy all these nostalgia models now for less and they are new. You can get a Honda trail bike for a bit more, and have a bigger more comfortable capable bike. The new Harley,s are very dependable, people just don,t ride now as much because the roads are crowded with texting happy twits driving and not paying attention.
I once had three of these. Sadly I sold them when they were not worth a whole lot. I used to ride them through the woods and I would end up at the top of the Holiday Valley, NY chair lift.
I can’t believe I had one of these, bought new at a Honda dealer in 1970, $375.00 if I recall correctly. A few of these and the ’67 VW Bus I had and I’d be set for retirement, LOL.
I had an exact copy of this bike back in the 1980s. I had to see the VIN to confirm that it wasn’t my old bike.
A cousin had purchased it as a new bike and rode it until he got his driver’s license. He then gave it to a mutual cousin who lived on a farm and it was used/abused there for years.
I just happened to be visiting the farm and saw a pile of sorry parts that had been dragged out of a basement corner and were going to be scrapped. The little gold CT70 had developed some kind of drivetrain issue and father/son had decided to take it apart to figure out what was wrong. Trouble is they had no metric tools and were used to working on farm implements so whatever worked at removing a capscrew or phillips head screw got used. Seems like the tool of choice was a cold chisel and a hammer.
Anyway I expressed interest in playing around with that little bike and they gladly gave it to me. It took a junkyard engine/transmission, a bunch of trips to the closest Honda motorcycle dealer, a significant amount of cash, and a lot of time but I got that thing running sweet. Then I decided to make it look good with a new seat, a new muffler assembly, and new tires. I nearly killed myself a bunch of times zipping across the fields behind my house at 35 mph and encountering obstacles hidden by the tall grass. One time it was a log. Ooof.
The original purchaser died young and his parents were visiting my parent and the dad saw that little CT70 setting tired and disused in our garage. He begged me to let him have it as a keepsake of his departed son. How could I refuse? He, too, has now passed away and I wonder where that bike is. Probably still in his garage…
They just sold a whole bunch of these at the Mecum Kissimmee auction. not one was under $5500.00 and some as high $8800 with 33 miles on it.A fool and his money .
I had that exact one and year. Learned how to work on vehicles by rebuilding mine twice ( at 12 and 14 years old). If I had $3000 lying around, I would have it
Missing the factory rubber battery cover – so I’ll pass.
I so badly wanted the smaller 50cc Mini Trail sibling. My mate had cherry red one and his dad had a blue CT70. The CT70 looked too big and scary for me when I was 9 years old, but I could handle my mates MT the one time he relented and let me have a go on it. My father hated motor cycles in any shape or form so I was never allowed to have one. Seeing this example after all these years sure stirs up all those childhood memories from 1970.
Yes I had a couple little motorcycles. First one was a Benelli 50 cc it was a lot of fun but keep falling apart. Then the CT70 and had it for year until someone stole it out of my garage. Then a CB100 Honda. Had it till the Kawasaki KZ650 that I just loved. Mis those days but wife and kids change it all.